Honey, Honey
by Trinity Everett
Summary: Kate Beckett was a woman on a mission. A mission for honey. Caskett. Written for Castle Fanfic Monday.


I swear, this is my last ficlet of CastleFanficMonday. Thank you for putting up with me today!

 **Honey, Honey**

 **Caskett**

 **Prompt: "So, I brought cough syrup and manuka honey, for your throat, and- oh there's another girl helping you get over your cold?" (fromcastlefanficprompts )**

* * *

Kate Beckett was a woman on a mission.

She'd been to three stores already and enough was enough. At the first stop, she'd managed to get most of the things on her list. At the second she'd picked up all but one of the remaining items. At the third she was shit out of luck, and gruff, dark-haired clerk was happy to tell her that.

Now she had two options: She could go to _another_ Duane Reade and hope maybe they stocked it, or she could make the hike to the Vitamin Shoppe and buy the jar she'd seen advertised on google.

For forty dollars.

Whatever. It was her last resort and she only had half an hour before they closed.

Her husband was, by far, one of the best things to ever happen to her, but sometimes he was a massive pain in the ass.

The man couldn't just have regular honey, local honey, honey she could find in any store. No, he needed _Manuka_ Honey. Expensive, hard to find Manuka Honey.

All because it was purported to have properties that would help him get over his cold faster. She was skeptical, but if Castle believed it, she would go along with the idea and hope for the placebo effect to work its magic.

Thankfully, she didn't have to walk the entire way; as she waited for a light to change, a cab dropped off its passenger and she was able to snag it before it sped away. It was a good thing, too, because she stumbled into the store with fifteen minutes to spare, only to find them already preparing to close.

Apologies rose to her lips as she glanced at the now-crumpled paper her husband had pressed into her hand before she left the loft.

"I only need one thing and I'll be out of your hair, I swear. Where can I find the Manuka Honey?"

Of course, once they realized she was going to give them forty-plus bucks, she was a lot more welcome. Exactly five minutes later, she was back on foot and one bag heavier. But she'd accomplished the mission.

Well done, Beckett, well done.

It wasn't late by any stretch, especially for a Sunday night, but the loft felt sleepy when she finally unlocked her front door. Instead of the brightness and bustle she typically came home to, the lights were dim and the room silent. The quiet actually made her reconsider calling out to her husband.

He really hadn't slept well last night – between the coughing and the congestion, he hadn't been able to find a comfortable position. So if he was resting now, she should probably let him relax. With that in mind, she took a moment to unload the other things she'd picked up (Oreos for the sick one, Skittles for herself, and a box of popsicles and a new carton of orange juice for the entire house) before making her way to her bedroom with a tablespoon and the medicinal spoils of her shopping trip.

"Okay, babe, I got the cough syrup you asked for, _and_ I was able to find the Manuka honey for your throat, and –" she stopped short upon spying her husband and his companion. "And I see you have another girl helping you get over your cold."

Castle grinned from his pile of pillows, squeezing the girl in question. Their two year old daughter beamed from his side, rubbing her father's chest soothingly.

When he'd first started to get sick, she'd attempted to sequester the baby, but keeping Riley away from her dad had proven to be next to impossible. She'd given up after the tantrums escalated and the wails for "Dad-ee" had been so pitiful.

"Mother had to duck out for a drink with a potential donor for her school, so Riley and I have been practicing the healing power of the cuddle." He still sounded stuffed up; hoarse from coughing as well, but at least he was in a decent mood.

"Well, Miss Riley is the expert on the cuddle, isn't she?" Kate asked, moving to drop a kiss on her daughter's cheek before swiping her lips over her husband's forehead. Hmm, he was a little warm. Then again, he was also under two layers of blankets and their daughter's body. Their kid was nothing if not a tiny furnace.

"Ya, Mama."

"Good." She trailed her fingers through Riley's stubby ponytail. "I bought popsicles. After Daddy takes his medicine, we'll all have one. How's that?"

The girl brightened, lifting away from Rick's chest and flopping onto her mother's side of the bed. Kate couldn't help but grin.

"Okay, Daddy. You heard the deal. Medicine and then popsicles. Open up."

Castle made a face, but accepted the decongestant pill, washing it down without further protest. The grimace returned as soon as she offered the cough medicine, but he tamped it down for his daughter's sake. They couldn't afford to leave Riley with the impression that things meant to help were disgusting; the last thing they needed was for her to refuse to take medicine the next time she was sick. Which could be soon if Rick had been contagious at any point over the past few days.

"And now for your magical healing honey," she teased, holding out the spoon. "I'll have you know I went to four places to find this for you, so if it works, you're gonna owe me the foot rub to end all foot rubs."

Rick grinned, slipping an arm around her waist as he slurped the honey from the spoon. His face pinched briefly at the flavor – cloyingly sweet, probably – but he didn't comment. Smart man. Still, next time she would mix it with tea, make it a little easier to take.

"If this works, I'll repay you in oh, so many ways," he promised, slipping his hand into the back pocket of her jeans. She hated that his voice was raw from coughing, but damn if the gravel didn't do it for her, just a little.

"Gonna hold you to that," she hummed, keeping her words steadier than she felt.

"Hold me anywhere you like, Beckett. I'm ready."

And then he ruined it. Slipping back from his side, she removed his hand from her ass. "Easy there, Romeo. I'll get the popsicles; you and your other nursemaid can continue your cuddle therapy."

Castle grinned once more, holding out an arm to Riley. "A blue and a green, please."

Riley snuggled close to her dad, giving Kate a toothy smile. "Fanks."

She stole a kiss from her daughter, ignoring the petulant "me too" face from her husband. "You're welcome, baby girl. I'll be right back with those."

Both heads bobbed in agreement.

"And then Mommy needs to sit down, too," she added, shaking off a wave of fatigue.

It was fine; the adrenaline from her mission had just faded, leaving her feeling a little more worn than she had earlier in the day. She'd been running herself ragged trying to take care of work things, her kid, and her husband. That was all. She was _not_ getting sick.

Absolutely not.

But just to be safe, she ate a spoonful of the miracle honey before returning to the bedroom with three popsicles.

* * *

 _A/N: I'm not sure if anyone recognized it, but this takes place in the same universe as chapters 2 and 4 of Maritari. Just a fun little fact for you guys._


End file.
